There is an urgent conversation currently taking place in the fashion industry. One that is fuelled by a need for innovators who could help fashion businesses get one step close towards sustainability. One of those innovators is INVERSA.

Driven by regenerative-focused initiatives, founders Aarav Chavda, Roland Salantino and Deepika Nagarajan have developed a luxury-quality exotic Leather alternative that heals the ecosystem with production.

The INVERSA leather is an entirely new exotic leather experience. Blending luxury and sustainability, this approach of using invasive species to help solve an environmental crisis and protect biodiversity is the way forward. Well, INVERSA thinks so.

Why Lionfish?

Not all Lionfish are harmful – only Invasive Lionfish are destroying the Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean. Invasive Lionfish have an unyielding appetite. With no natural predators in these waters, they efficiently kill up to 79% of young marine life within five weeks of entering a coral reef system. Thus, in killing the fish that eat the algae from the coral reefs, the reefs are left overgrown with algae and eventually die. The net result is the degradation of entire coral reef systems due to the invasive lionfish. Left unchecked, the invasive lionfish pose a significant threat to the existing biodiversity and the oxygen supply from the coral reefs.

Each hide saves up to 70,000 native reef fish and actively heals our planet.

Why Are You Removing These Species?

A single invasive lionfish can eat up to 70,000 native reef fish. Therefore, removing each Lionfish helps to save these native fish that would otherwise have been consumed. In addition, with INVERSA’s active management of certain coral reefs for invasive lionfish, we can help to protect against the degradation of those reefs.

Is your manufacturing process ethical?

We carefully vet all our partners and suppliers to ensure an ethical and end-to-end healing supply chain. We process and manufacture all our products in the USA.

Where do you source the lionfish?

We source from anywhere. Lionfish are invasive, specifically from all around the coast of Florida and from the coast of Mexico. Despite our international sourcing, our products are entirely processed and manufactured in the USA.

What is your tanning process?

We love to be honest and upfront about our tanning process. We currently use Chrome III, which we monitor very closely to prevent any conversion into Chrome VI. Our 12-month goal is to switch entirely to Zealite – an entirely bio-based tanning process.

Is the leather durable?

We engineer our leather to stand up to automotive-grade testing. We partner with the leading leather innovation lab to do so. Please download our latest testing report here.

Who have you worked with?

We have worked with Teton Leather Company a custom leather manufacturer specialized in high-end exotic goods. Our partnership with Teton Leather Co has marked the brand’s innovation and exploration into creating eco-positive art. Teton has launched various products using INVERSA Leather, including wallets, clutches, watch straps and more.

Also, P448 is an Italian footwear brand specialized in design innovation and experimentation. For three seasons in a row, P448 has been committed to launching greener collections. Our partnership with P448 marks the brand’s first splash into beyond sustainable leather.

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